Vanilla Ice Cream

Heaven in a dish.  No joke!  This recipe has been touted by many to be the best homemade vanilla ice cream recipe out there and while this was the first vanilla ice cream I’ve ever made, I can honestly say that I adore it.  If you haven’t yet explored the world of making homemade ice cream, what are you waiting for?  David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop provides some wonderful insight into the art of making ice cream with tried and true recipes (for ice cream, sorbets, gelato and mix-ins and vessels like ice cream cones) and a full introductory chapter on the science of making ice cream.  It’s really an incredible book and I’m so thankful this was the one I chose to accompany me on my homemade ice cream making journey.

The recipe is straight forward, using a custard base.  If a custard-based ice cream is new to you, the process is very close to how one would make custard: heating the milk and sugar and then tempering the eggs into the hot mixture.  It’s a rather simple process and if you, like me, end up slightly cooking the eggs, don’t panic; you press the mixture through a sieve and any lumps will work their way out.

To serve with this delectable delight, I popped open the jar of dulce de leche that I had been saving for a special occasion…and boy was this a good choice for vanilla ice cream.  So good in fact, that I prefer it over hot fudge or peanut butter sauce…and that’s saying a lot!

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Other Ice Cream Recipes You Shouldn’t Miss:

• Kona Coffee Chocolate Chip
• Peanut Butter

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Vanilla Ice Cream

source: David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well.  Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract, and stir until cool over an ice bath.
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving it for another use, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.